It is exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C.[1] The painting depicts Berthe Morisot's mother, Marie-Joséphine, and her favourite sister, Edma Pontillon.

In this case, we can see the artist's mother reading a book, an activity that gives the painting its original title, and her sister appears with a pensive expression.

During this time, Edma was pregnant with her first child, and surely her thoughts were focused on the loss of having to put her married life before her devotion to painting.

Berthe was also in a moment of crisis; despite her great personal consideration, the art world did not make it easy for women artists.

When, finally Manet come to visit her, Berthe describes in that same letter that he took his brushes and began to apply black on his mother's dress, a favourite colour of him, continuing on the head and even touching the background.

This whole process made Berthe Morisot very angry, and she wished that they would not have accepted the painting in the salon, calling the final work a "caricature".